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Tony stepped thought the portal and stared in amusement as the twelve Transcendent Souls stood around Thanos’s smouldering remains. The stench of burning flesh was thick in the air. Tony was somewhat amused to see as of the ex-Avengers, the Dora, and T’Challa all being held down.
T’Challa was spluttering in indignation.
The Transcendent Souls, for their part, were ignoring him. Tony smiled in amusement and walked over.
‘If I hadn’t fought the guy, I’d call it overkill,’ he said to Sharee. ‘How long did you wait?’
‘Until after he got the Mind Stone from Vision,’ Sharee said. ‘Zhen is restoring JARVIS as we speak.’
Tony smiled. Wanda let out a high-pitched wail and clawed at the air. But there was no sign of her powers. Tony ignored her. He was perfectly aware that Kolya could strip a person of artificial powers. And he had done so. Tony turned his head however, when Cap yelled from across the battlefield.
‘You sacrificed Vision? Why would you do that! Vision was alive! JARVIS wasn’t!’
Tony glared darkly at him.
Ethne put a hand on his shoulder. ‘Ignore him, Tony. He’s always been a self-righteous dick.’
Knowing that Ethne had the dubious pleasure of being Steve’s schoolteacher in her previous life, Tony frowned and turned his attention away from the walking propaganda piece. He refocused on the remains of Thanos. But his attention was drawn once more, but this time by one of the Dora.
‘You are the one burning our soldiers!’ she hissed at Reuben.
‘You mean during your 357, and counting, attempts to kidnap those boys?’ Reuben asked glibly.
‘Sorry, what?’ Tony asked flatly.
‘Wakanda has a long history of kidnapping people who show too much ingenuity in any scientific field,’ Jamil said. ‘You were never nabbed because you were in the public eye too much. Can’t have people noticing them.’
Rhodey landed next to Tony as T’Challa called out.
‘Where did you get that idea?’
Jamil smirked at him. ‘Perhaps because two lifetimes ago, I reincarnated myself into Wakanda and got myself a nice cushy government job. I don’t think you do it. I know you do it.’
‘Oh, that’s going to go down well,’ Rhodey remarked with a dark glare. ‘And what do you do with these people once you get them?’
There was no answer forthcoming.
‘You don’t wanna know,’ Jamil said. ‘But you’re gonna.’ And then he snapped his fingers. In that moment, huge vines lifted up out of the ground and began wrapping around and through the city in the distance. He gave a bitter smile and then gestured for Tony and Rhodey to follow him.
‘Where do you think you’re going?’ T’Challa demanded.
They ignored him.
‘Stop and come back here at once!’ T’Challa barked. ‘I command you as the King of Wakanda!’
But they all ignored him.
And Jamil took Tony and Rhodey up to see the most horrifying thing either had ever seen.
***
If it was possible to convict a country of a crime, the world would have done so.
As it was, many just declared all citizens of Wakanda persona non grata within their own borders. The recordings from Tony’s and Rhodey’s suits had been released, including the harvested body parts and records in that room Jamil had shown them. Some of the harvested organs were even small enough to belong to children.
Wakanda, it turned out, used them when their own people needed organ transplants.
And now the whole world knew what happened to their best and brightest when they weren’t born with a spotlight on them, as Tony had been.
And, naturally, everyone was pissed.
The boys Reuben had referenced had some interest, but not a lot. Reuben had addressed that elephant.
‘I did tell their parents what Jamil had told me of the issue, but the boys themselves aren’t even teenagers yet.’
So the media was happy to leave them alone...while they tore into Wakanda.
And that just increased when they found out Wakanda had sheltered and treated the Winter Soldier, without telling anyone they had him.
Let’s just say their re-entrance into the world didn’t go as planned.
But Tony was curious about these kids that Reuben had been protecting from Wakanda (and SHIELD also, it turned out) for years. He had asked if he could meet them. And if not, if he could see them. Reuben had looked nothing short of delighted. But he had one stipulation before he said yes.
‘Wait until summer.’
Summer came and Tony found himself sitting in a lawn chair on top of a building in a small city, along with Reuben, Sharee, Rhodey, Peter, MJ, and Ned. The latter three had decided to tag along when they heard. They all stared up, jaws hanging as they watched. Sharee and Reuben, on the other hand, sat back and watched like they’d seen this a million times before.
‘Nobody ever gets hurt,’ Reuben remarked. ‘Do you have something to do with that?’
‘How could I?’ Sharee asked. ‘They do this shit every day and I’m usually over in New Haven. That is, if I’m even in the country.’
‘They got powers of their own then?’ Peter asked.
‘Maybe,’ Reuben said. ‘I’ve spoken to their parents, but never to them. We haven’t actually confirmed it. But it’s a possibility.’
‘How old did you say they were?’ Rhodey asked.
‘I think they’re about eight or nine,’ Reuben remarked.
‘Didn’t you say they were brothers?’ MJ asked.
‘Step-brothers,’ Reuben told her. ‘That’s why they’re the same age, but they’re not twins.’
Sharee chuckled and shook her head. ‘Incredible coincidence, though. Not even related, and they’re similar enough to pull off feats like this on a daily basis.’
‘JARVIS,’ Tony suddenly said.
‘Yes, sir?’ JARVIS responded.
Rhodey smiled. Though he’d been back for months, it still made him smile to hear the AI’s voice again. Sure, it’d cost Vision his life, but Rhodey found himself much preferring having JARVIS back. At least he had common sense and his heart, as AI as it may be, was in the right place.
‘Put down their names for an internship at Stark Industries in ten years,’ Tony said. He looked over. ‘By the way, what are their names?’
Reuben grinned. ‘Phineas and Ferb.’